Long term effects AFTER withdrawing from Effexor

@terri672
I was only on Effexor (25mg regular release) for hot flashes. I never had anxiety, insomnia, akathisia, irritability and rage UNTIL I tapered off (last dose was 4/14/18). Effexor increases/regulates the levels of two brain neurotransmitters--norepinephrine (noradrenaline) and serotonin. At low doses, it prevents serotonin reuptake (leaves more serotonin in the system). At higher doses, it inhibits both serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake. Serotonin helps control a number of processes within the brain--mood and emotions, anxiety and aggression, sleep, appetite, memory and perceptions. Norepinephrine is a stress hormone that affects parts of the brain that relate to attention and response and it underlies the fight-or-flight response. I realized pretty quickly that the overwhelming feelings, insomnia and akathisia were Effexor withdrawal symptoms. It's going to take some time for my brain to balance itself (I was on Effexor for 18 years); I found relief in taking supplements (click on my name to read past posts where I list them). If you were on Effexor for mental/emotional issues, you may need to go back on it, or try a different medication.

Hi, @terri672 - I moved your post to this existing discussion on effects after tapering off venlafaxine (Effexor) so that you could connect with others discussing this subject. Click VIEW & REPLY in your email notification to get to your post.

Hoping that @sandij @ldwhite720 @texasduchess @brightwings @notaround @babydoll will chime in with any experiences they have with returning depression or anxiety after a taper off of venlafaxine (Effexor).

What symptoms are you noticing especially with the depression and anxiety, @terri672 (e.g., loss of interest in activities, restlessness, trouble concentrating)?

Thanks, Lisa... The worst symptoms have been trouble sleeping, anxiety, panic. Depression has been bad, feeling very sad, not able to cope, loss of joy, daily activities are just survival in addition to loss of appetite and my stomach is in knots. I did see a NP yesterday and I've returned to effexor, sad to say....

Terri, I’m sorry you are experiencing symptoms again. Did you wean off or go off cold turkey? I don’t think it is unusual for symptoms to return. Mine didn’t return but I have started on Cymbalta in the last four months to help with pain that got progressively worse after coming off Effexor.

I took 8.5 months to wean off and was off for 4.5 months before I went back on. Quality of life got worse and worse. It did increase my blood pressure and I suffered a lot of pain after I weaned off. I read that it did suppress pain, but I do have fibromyalgia. The anxiety was horrible and the depression kept increasing. My blood pressure also seems to be going down now that I am taking it again. I'm so disappointed that I wasn't able to stay off of it, but I feel 75% better after just 2 days... I'm thankful for answered prayers because I felt like I was losing it!

Thank you for that suggestion. I haven’t used this resource in years so I wouldn’t have know who in the group would be good to reach out to here. I mentioned it to my doctor at my last physical and she was strangely silent regarding any of my comments related to chronic pain and depression. This is a new doctor and I was hopeful, due to her bio, that she was more open minded to alternative medicine and listening. However that was not my experience. I have moved A LOT in my adult life and so my medical care has been very inconsistent and poor. The only constant has been my therapist for the last 12 years. While I have done well since weaning off meds (and getting a divorce—one of the exacerbating factors for depression was the marriage), this pain is threatening to pull me down into depression again. Thank you for the recommendation and for reaching out to these other folks. I hope they might have some wisdom to share.

I was only Effexor for 2-3 years and it is now 16 years after weaned off and I suffer with strange lack of motivation, fatigue, anxiety and insomnia which all leads to pain since. It all started after I came off the Effexor and I’d NEVER experienced anything like it before. The Effexor has no doubt permanently damaged me in some way. There are books written by experts that discuss the long term and permanent damage of antidepressant use and Effexor is one of them.